The Iron Wings
by Fandoomed
Summary: L begins to find his passion for bringing justice, and that passion only grows when certain traumatic incidents happen in his life. Just a little backstory on L about his pre-orphanage days.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello readers! Yes I know I said I would update soon about forever ago but I lied because I'm a horrible procrastinator. But here's something I've been working on a little. It's quite sad but I really love writing backstories so I hope you enjoy this one:)**

L watched from under his covers, which were pulled up over his nose, as his father finished checking his closet for monsters. As an intelligent child, L had an overactive imagination. He would often cower at night from fear of monsters. Invisible monsters, child-snatching monsters, blood sucking monsters, and the monsters that would even plague his dreams. But his parents would always be there to comfort him, and to chase his fears away.  
"Well there's no monsters in your closet."  
"And none under your bed," his mother said standing up from beside him.  
"Did you check out the window?" L asked, his voice muffled under blankets. His father went and pulled back a curtain checking out into the night.  
"Nope. No monsters out the window either." L lower his blankets, feeling safer now that his parents had thoroughly checked out his room. L's father headed over to the door and flicked out the lights.  
"Goodnight L, see you tomorrow morning. Don't be keeping him up too late now, Natsumi." He said with a wink.  
"They're just short little bedtime stories!" L's mother shouted in defense.  
"I know how long you can make those stories" said L's father, walking away from the bedroom.  
"I have no idea what he's talking about, Natsumi said with a smile. L grinned too and propped himself up on his elbows. Although he hated going to bed, L really loved hearing his mother's bedtime stories. He watched as she pulled out a thick book from a bookshelf beside his bed and flipped open to the page they had marked the night before.  
"Alright, this story is called The Tail of the Iron Wings."  
"Have you read this one before mommy?"  
"Hmm, no I don't believe I have. I guess it'll be a new story for both of us then won't it?" She then cleared her throat and began to read. L closed his eyes to listen. He absolutely loved the sound of his mother's clear, soft, voice.  
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful bird. This bird had soft, beautiful wings and it would fly high above the world and sing a song that was pure and good. Every time it sang the world would become brighter. But there were other birds in the world, crows with sharp beaks and claws that could not sing as the little bird did. And for this they resented him. So they would swoop in and attack the bird, tearing away at its wings and beak with their awful talons. Feeling defeated, the beautiful, broken bird decided that the best way to stop his suffering was to protect his wings. So he began to replace each soft feather with an iron one. And the little bird of gentle beauty became a fierce bird with iron wings. But even though the crows could no longer hurt him, the bird found that the feathers weighed him down. His shoulders began to sag. He could no longer fly above the world. He could no longer fly with the other birds. And even though his song still brightened the world, he would never again be as happy as he had been before. The freedom and happiness of the world had come at a price." L watched his mother place the book mark back the between the pages. "My, that was quite tragic wasn't it? If I'd have known that it would be that sad, we would have read a different one."  
L's mind began to work quickly.  
"That's not fair though. That bird shouldn't have had to change his wings. Why didn't anyone else help him? Why didn't anyone else stop those crows?" His mother shook her head.  
"There are lots of crows in the world L. And when you are a delicate little bird, it may be harder to stand up to something that is so much bigger and scarier than you. That's probably why the bird covered his wings in iron. Because he knew that that's what it would take to help all the other birds like himself. And he did so willingly. Sometimes that's the price some must pay for the freedom of others." L closed his eyes again.  
"That still doesn't seem fair, but at the same time I can understand. That's probably what I would do, if I was the bird." L's mother stood up and ruffled his hair.  
"Well I hope for your sake that you will never have to do anything like that. That would be the last thing I would want to see happen." She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "Now get to sleep. Tomorrow we're having pancakes for breakfast. Maybe if you go to sleep like a good little boy, I'll put chocolate chips in them like you like."  
"Ok mommy. Good night, I love you."  
"I love you too, L."  
L watched her leave the room and suddenly came to a realization. His mother was like a bird. Both of his parents were really. And that was something that should be protected. He would steel his wings to protect people like that. And maybe, after all of the love and protecting they'd given him, maybe one day he would be able to protect them too.

L fell asleep quickly and slept quite soundly until he was awoken by a loud crash, sometime around three in the morning.

 **I do promise to have the next part uploaded quickly-on my honor! Please review:3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alrighty here's part two now...**

It was the crashes that woke L up, but it was his mother's scream that sent him flying from his bed. As quick as he could, L ran down the hallway to his parent's room, his footsteps mostly muffled by the carpet. When he reached the doorway, he stopped short, slapping a hand over his mouth to stop his cry. Before him was a sight that would haunt him for the rest of his days. His father lay sprawled on the floor beside the bed, the bed sheets wrapped around one of his ankles. A blotch of red bloomed on the front of his white t-shirt, growing larger by the second. There was a small trail of dark blood that spread across the floor near his face. L stared at his father's face, wishing desperately he'd move. At least blink his empty, staring eyes. His mother screamed again and L looked back to her, her face paler than usual. Long strands of black hair were stuck to her face. She stared up at her attacker, stared right back down at her, his eyes gleaming. L exhaled a bit, not even realizing he'd been holding his breath. His mother turned when she heard the small noise and locked eyes with L. A look of even greater fear crossed her face when she saw that her baby boy was about to be caught in the middle of one awful, traumatic mess. Her eyes widened though when man holding her down drove a knife into her chest. There was barely a scream that escaped her lips before L saw the light fade from her eyes. L himself was too shocked to cry. He just stared in helpless horror as the murdered slashed up his mom.

After a short while the murdered appeared to get bored with his victims and simply stared down at his work. _No, this can't be happening. This has to be some horrific nightmare. They can't just...die!_ L thought to himself.

L squeezed his eyes shut.

"No..." he whispered to himself.

Daddy had checked his room for monsters, but had he checked his own?

When L opened his eyes again, his heart skipped a beat. Because the man—the monster was staring at him. L didn't dare breathe. The tension in the room was so thick that it could be cut with the knife that the murderer held so easily in his hands. L almost couldn't stand it. He felt such a need to scream. They each seemed to be waiting for the other to move but neither so much as blinked while holding eye contact.

Time felt non-existent in that eternity of minutes.

Suddenly without any prompting at all, the monster rose from the bed. And he started walking very slowly towards L. L felt his grip around the doorframe tighten. The killer got closer and L noticed that his hands and clothes were dripping with blood. There was a vacancy in his eyes, as if he did not possess a single emotion. Zero empathy. It was strange that this monster looked so much like a human, even though he clearly wasn't one. He stopped in front of L towering above him. And very slowly, he knelt down to where L didn't have to crane his neck to see those heartless eyes. Never looking away from L, the monster tapped the tip of the knife to L's chin.

"You can't do. Anything. About it." He said in a mocking tone as he tapped the knife before each pause. And in one swift movement, the monster swung the knife…

Swung it straight into the doorframe, inches above L's head.

And without another word, or even another glance, he left the room. L listened as he made his way down the hallway and opened the front door. Minutes passed and L did not leave his spot. He'd only just started breathing again and his mind raced as he tried to process what had just happened. After several moments of incoherent thoughts, L finally found one to focus on. _Police. He needed to call the police._ L ran to the kitchen and grabbed the phone, dialing for help. Within moments, sirens split the silence of the neighborhood and red and blue flashers reflected off the sides of the houses. After that time, L found the rest to be a blur of being shuffled around from person to person. It seemed like everyone was trying to talk to him, asking question after question. There were hands constantly on him and at one point someone wrapped him in a bright orange blanket. After what seemed like hours, L found himself in the comforting silence of the police station. An officer had been left to watch him and they sat in opposite seats in a waiting room. The cop didn't speak much to L and he was glad. He needed a minute to gather his thoughts. The sudden impact of all that had happened that night finally set in. His parents were gone. He would never again have another one of his mother's bedtime stories. There would be no more pancake breakfasts. And his father would be there to check his room for monsters anymore. L tried his hardest to will away the tears that were building up in his eyes. _The worst part,_ he thought, _was that that monster was right. I couldn't do anything about it._ His hands gripped the sides of his seat. Suddenly a woman popped her head into the room.

"L, there's someone here to see you." She opened the door and a man in his forties came into the room. He looked like a gentleman, wearing a well-tailored suit. He had a pair of wire glasses resting on his nose. "This is Quillish Wammy. He came here to talk to you." The woman nodded to the man and left the room. Wammy went and took a seat next to L, giving him a kind smile.

"L Lawliet. I must say it is an honor to meet you. It is a shame though that I must meet you at all, especially under such circumstances." He held out a hand and L took it, giving it a small shake. "I must confess that I've heard of you before this. Knowledge of your talent has been circulating and I find your certain gifts very intriguing."

"Excuse me if I interrupt," L interjected, "but who are you? Who are you really, Mr. Wammy?" Wammy chuckled.

"Straight and to the point, I like that. I am the founder of a place called Wammy's Orphanage, a home for talented kids like yourself. I've come here to offer you a home. A place where you will be looked after, but also be challenged. We will sharpen your mind and teach you what you need to be great in this world. And L, I think that you have the ability to be great. You have the ability to help change the world." L looked thoughtfully down at his feet.

"I accept your offer. If your place is what you say it is, then maybe you can help me."

"Help you with what?"

"Help me find the man that killed my parents. I already have several leads. I've decided… that this is my new goal. I wish to help rid the world of the monsters that hid as men. Those monsters, they are the worst." Wammy smiled.

"Well L, I think we can definitely help you with that."

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